This is a checklist for your horse’s satisfaction rating

Methods to measure students’ satisfaction during their riding lessons are fairly well researched, but the horses’ satisfaction in their lessons is also important.

Children may jump out of the car and quickly find their favorite horse to say ‘hello’, does your horse have their ears pricked and look forward to visits from humans?

When a student is getting ready for their riding lesson they could be excited about their lessons.  While you may not want your horse to be excited, are they entering the arena pleasantly without napping, snarling their face or swishing their tail?

Even when a student is concentrating on improving their riding, they should be enjoying themselves.  Does your horse understand what you ask and do their best to perform?

A keen student will want to continue learning even when the lesson is over.  Do you always stop the lesson before your horse wants to and would they be happy to continue for a while longer if you asked them?

Many instructors and riding schools give students regular questionnaires to get some feedback about their lessons.  If you gave your horse a questionnaire, what would the results be?

I know the rating of many horses would be ‘extremely satisfied’, but is there a tiny area for improvement?